I interface a great deal with the computer electronics industry and,
specifically, semiconductor and avionics manufacturers. From my perspective,
Y2K is a very real and major problem. It is not going to go away and its
impact on a specific digital-based infrastructure is extremely difficult to
determine, let alone test.
I would like to thank those of you who have shared your thoughts on this
subject with me over the past week (especially the comments that came through
private e-mail).
For purposes of this discussion, however, the bottom line today seems to be --
1. There is a real problem across many industries with both stand-alone
software programs and embedded systems.
2. Developing and conducting test procedures to catch all potential failures
(including ripple effects due to embedded system failures) is extremely
challenging.
3. Eliminating all potential failures probably will not happen.
4. The HF implications seem to fall into the category of risk mitigation.
Since risk mitigation is part of my job description, I intend to continue
digging into this issue as it relates to the flight deck. If any of you out
there would like to contribute potential issues and/or solutions, I would be
pleased to hear from you.
Again, thank you for your comments to date. Sincerely, Bob Barnes
P.S. If you don't know anything about this issue, here are two books which
may provide a starting point:
"Time Bomb 2000" by Edward and Jennifer Yourdon (non-techie discussion of the
potential problem across multiple industries)
"How to 2000" by Raytheon E-Systems, 500+ page paperback with a CD-ROM (very
techie 'how to book' which includes methodologies and web links to several
hundred related sites)